10 Broadway Shows to Watch After Putting the Kids to Bed

10 Broadway Shows to Watch After Putting the Kids to Bed

Written by: Sonia Wieser

‘Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill’

Audra McDonald transforms herself into the legendary Billie Holiday for this intimate one-woman play about one of singer’s last performances. Mixing Holiday’s standards with anecdotes from her difficult life, the 2014 production captures Holiday’s essence as well as her emotional vulnerability and vocal prowess.

‘Falsettos’

The Tony-nominated revival remains emotionally relevant 25 years after it first debuted. It has Broadway and TV favorites Andrew Rannells, Christian Borle, Brandon Uranowitz, Stephanie J. Block, Tracie Thoms among other stage and screen regulars. It's a charming, frenetic and ultimately heartbreaking story centered around a married couple, their soon-to-be bar mitzvahed son, the husband’s gay lover, their psychiatrist and their lesbian neighbors.

‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (Julie Taymor 2014 Production)

Best known for masterminding "The Lion King" on Broadway and the films "Frida" and "Across the Universe," Julie Taymor brings her unique creative sensibility to Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Theatre for a New Audience at Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn. Filmed in front of a live audience, the 2014 production casts the story of the Athenian lovers and faeries in an eerie glow.

‘Sweeney Todd’

Not for the faint of heart, Stephen Sondheim’s musical about the “Demon Barber of Fleet Street” tells the harrowing tale of a man who, after escaping from jail, seeks vengeance on the judge who wrongly convicted him. Partnering with a pie shop owner, he turns his barbershop above the pie store into a slaughterhouse, killing his clients and then giving their bodies to the baker to put in her pies. Starring George Hearn, Patti LuPone and Neil Patrick Harris.

‘El Cabaret de Los Hombres Perdidos’

Translating toThe Cabaret of Lost Men, this award-winning play depicts a young man running from a gang only to find himself in a darkly lit gay bar with some giant personalities. Presented in Spanish with English subtitles, the play asks characters and the audience to examine themselves and search for their true identities.

‘The Maids’

Originally screened in 1975, the filmed theatrical production of Jean Genet’s “The Maids” focuses on Solange and Claire, two servants—and sisters—who create their own complex power struggle through role-playing while their Madame is away. Switching off the parts of Madame and their other sister, the sadistic dynamic escalates during this very twisted show.

‘If I Forget’

The 2017 Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Steven Levenson’s (“Dear Evan Hansen”) “If I Forget” centers around strained familial relationships and swirls with big questions about Jewish identity and history as well as the usual bickerings of adult children who come together to support an aging parent. The most recognizable face is Kate Walsh, known for her roles in “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice.”

‘Billy Elliot’

17 years ago, “Billy Elliot” became a household name thanks to the critically acclaimed film about a young boy who dreams of being a ballet dancer. Set in England during the 1980s coal miners strike, both the movie and the musical of the same name have inspired audiences all over the world. The play features a score by Sir Elton John, and this 2014 production was filmed live in London’s West End.

‘On the Exhale’

“On The Exhale” is strikingly focused on a mother mourning her young son after a mass shooting. The Roundabout Theatre’s production of the one-woman play starring Marin Ireland received critical acclaim for its unexpected take on the grieving process.

‘My Night With Reg’

Set amidst the AIDS-crisis, the 1997 BBC filmcaptures six gay friends over the course of multiple evenings when they gather in the character Guy’s apartment, to talk about life, love and sex especially their intertwined relationships with their deceased friend Reg.

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